These two laptops are aimed at different users: One is for hard-core gamers, the other for design lovers looking for a sleek but fast machine. Both are bound to impress their target audience.
New Alienware 13
Rs.1,19,990
Turn it over, and you’ll notice massive air vents on the underside. While other laptops suck in air from the bottom vents and blow it out from the side ones, Alienware does the opposite. This has allowed the designers to create a better cooling system. Also, there are two massive fans installed; most laptops have one.
Our test unit had a 13.3-inch IPS touch screen with 2,560x1,440 pixel resolution. The display is satisfactory—the colours look rich but are never too vibrant, the white colour is pure, making the text readable, and there is a good level of detailing in games and media. The only problem is that even when turned completely down, the brightness is still on the high side, which can be a problem if your room does not have a bright light switched on.
The Alienware 13 packs in an Intel Core i5-4210U processor, 16 GB RAM, a Nvidia GeForce GTX 860M (2 GB) graphics card and a 1 TB hard drive. It is an interesting choice of processor for a laptop as expensive as this because it isn’t really in the same league as the more powerful Core i7 variants.
The powerful graphics card can handle the latest games with the highest resolutions selected and all the detailing options switched on. The gameplay performance is top-notch on first-person shooter games and racing ones. The visuals have depth, and the frames are smooth even during the fast transitions in racing games. There were one or two occasions on which the frames became slightly sluggish for a few seconds, but that can be attributed to various factors—poorly optimized software, a laptop that may have been heating up or a processor that may have clocked down to reduce load.
Gaming laptops or, for that matter, all laptops that pack in a powerful processor, tend to struggle with cooling. While the Alienware 13 does have generous vents on the underside, we did detect a hint of heat emerging from the keyboard when the laptop was really stressed. It was not anything uncomfortable or that burnt our fingers, but it is an indication that the machine needs better ventilation. It is possible that we placed the laptop on a soft surface, such as a bed or a cushion, thus blocking the air circulation. The other issue with the cooling architecture is that the fans can get quite loud.
Surprisingly for a gaming laptop, the keyboard on the Alienware 13 is conducive to quick typing. This means that when you are not playing games on it, you can work on documents or send emails efficiently. The touchpad, though, responds inconsistently to tapping and two-finger scrolling—a driver update can solve these niggles.
The AlienFX control panel software lets users customize the LED lighting colour and brightness individually for the keyboard, the lid and the logo below the screen. The keyboard itself is virtually divided into four sectors, letting you light it up with four different colours.
The Alienware 13 laptop, more portable than ever before, can be an effective gaming laptop. If you wish to, you can use it for more common tasks. And it is that sort of flexibility that adds value to the package.
Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro
Rs.1,14,990
The Yoga 3 Pro is slim and gorgeous to look at. It is 17% thinner and 14% lighter than its predecessor, the Yoga 2 Pro. It weighs just 1.19kg and is only half an inch thick. Lenovo says it is the thinnest convertible notebook in the world. It is light enough to be carried around without feeling the bulk in a backpack or handbag.
Despite the weight and thickness reduction, it has one more regular USB port than the Yoga 2, and a USB 2.0 port, which also doubles up as the Yoga’s charging jack.
A visual element that cannot be missed is the watch strap-inspired display hinge made from 813 individual pieces of aluminium and steel. It looks gorgeous and is quite solid. We are seeing something like this for the first time on a laptop and it is difficult to say how well it will face up to rough use.
There is one flaw in the build quality of the laptop though. Press down on the middle of the keyboard, and it dips ever so slightly. It is not something that will create a significant problem for you, but the price tag magnifies even small faults.
The 13.3-inch IPS touch screen has a resolution of 3,800x1,200 pixels. The depth reproduction of this screen is staggering. Open a high-resolution image and you will find your eyes being drawn to within centimetres of the screen to admire the array of minute details that would have remained hidden on other laptops. Watch HD or 4K movies or look at high-resolution photographs shot by a high-end camera to understand how good this screen is. With a lot of websites now using high-resolution images, this screen will also make Web browsing more enjoyable.
It is hard to build a good keyboard on such a thin laptop. Things have improved from the Yoga 2. Key travel doesn’t end abruptly, as it did earlier, and the typing accuracy has improved owing to better feedback.
The Yoga 3 is powered by an Intel fifth-generation processor, the Core M 5Y71 dual-core chip, and clocks in at 1.10 GHz (crank it up to 2.6 GHz for a limited time, when needed). This is paired with 8 GB of low-power RAM and the Intel HD 5300 graphics. But the outstanding feature is the lightning-fast 512 GB flash storage. Press the power key, and Windows 8.1 (64-bit) is booted and ready for use in less than 7 seconds. The performance is smooth, even when you open many apps at the same time. Even though we stressed the processor with multiple tasks simultaneously, the Yoga 3 Pro didn’t heat up. The left corner of the keyboard was slightly warm, but that’s about it.
If you use the Yoga 3 Pro for basic tasks such as Web browsing or working on documents, a fully charged battery can last around 14 hours. We played some HD movies back to back, and the battery lasted around 8 hours.
Yes, the Yoga 3 Pro does carry a heavy price tag, but the feather-light laptop is worth it for its blend of style, performance and usability.
